NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #6

[Herat]

It was, as I understand it, a shareholders meeting. Many people buy 1 share of a stock to get closer to the CEO's/other management during those days (sometimes two days). My understanding is that the first day of this shareholder event (all held at the same hotel) was a run up to the second day, which was the fohttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/unitedhealth-group-insiders-sell-us-120027214.htmlrmal meet-the-shareholders day. Dissenting shareholders for this particular equity company might be fairly large.

Other stockholders were miffed/worried about the legal troubles and possible criminal fraud at UHC:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/unitedhealth-group-insiders-sell-us-120027214.html

The reason for the sell off is a rabbit hole.

So all someone has to do to get access to such events is buy 1 share of stock. Further, the crowd gathers and it's not exactly orderly once it starts (this particular company has had its share of protesters).

If the perp came into town 10 or more days earlier, they had quite a bit of time to scope out the itinerary of the CEO of the company they hated (if that was the motivation).

BT's wife told NBC that he had received death threats. I can understand how he decided to simply defy those threats (he was, after all, paid to do exactly that and I am boggled by his actual paycheck). I am also boggled by this company's reported profits and returns to equity share holders. All of this was the subject matter of this "conference." Feelings were heated.

IMO.

This was not a shareholder's meeting.

It was a meeting for investors and had a closed attendance. It was not open to general shareholders.

 

[Deleted member 350315]

My intuition says that the authorities don't have a clue as to the shooter's identity, origins, or current whereabouts, and that Brian Thompson's murder will go down in infamy alongside The Black Dahlia, The Zodiac Killer, and the Tylenol Poisonings as one of America's most notorious cold cases.
The shooter used the most low-tech of methods (paying in cash, traveling by bus, lodging in a hostel, using an e-bike as a getaway vehicle, etc.) to evade and flummox the most high-tech surveillance and detection. He is a real-life will-o'-the-wisp who has vanished back into the ether from which he emerged...

 

[ChrisM]

I would be VERY surprised if 9mm ammo was used to euthanize animals. if you had to do it to a small animal it would ruin the body. like in a really bad way. Even cattle are killed by a bolt that retracts back into the gun. Plus the cost of the ammunition vs other more humane methods is just way too much.

i think i recall reading there were (are) two calibers/ versions of the gun 9mm being the larger, and maybe what was used in BT case; also that these b&t pistols were mostly aimed (sorry) at the large animal vet market (horses, including cattle though) - i have absolutely no knowledge of this activity though and your comment seems to make sense.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Thank you. What is the distinction between investors and shareholders? This is a publicly traded company. Do they have an extra mechanism for gaining investments?

Are you saying that shareholders are not invited for Investment Day?

UnitedHealth Cancels Investor Day After Executive Brian Thompson Is Shot

UnitedHealth Group was scheduled to host its annual Investor Day Wednesday but the event was cancelled following the fatal shooting of its insurance unit CEO.

www.kiplinger.com

If they are not, then more cause for angst and anger. It is surely publicized as exactly what it is: a day for investors to meet and greet the upper echelon of the company.

Was it not announced more generally? Was there security to bar regular investors? If individual shareholders find out about it, one way or another (and I think they would), might they not be irked?

JMO

Sounds like the annual investor meeting is more precisely selected constituents. Specifically, heavy investors not even heavy stockholders. Apparently.

 

[adamland]

Followed many cases here over the years. Such a great community!

Not sure if it's my older age, or distrust for official narratives, but I'm seeing this all a bit differently and I'm not certain we'll ever know the truth in this one.

I can't help but think how cool and collected this perp was. I find it hard to believe it's their first time committing an egregious act. The main question is who paid for this?

Disgruntled employee? Distraught family member? Foreign entity? Domestic entity? The conspiracy theorist inside me looks at the complex picture this single act paints and the questions born from it.

Is it an attack on health care as a whole? Public sentiment coming out of this is showing a move towards Medicare for all or a single payer system. There's a huge grievance towards the for profit health care industry. Who stands to benefit?

How is it possible that in 2024, a person can travel anonymously using cash? Is this a case that may lead to legislation to close a perceived loophole? Who benefits?

Is an electric bike a motor vehicle? Nobody has an answer for this, and municipalities have struggled with enacting laws. Does this case shine a light on the need for restrictive legislation? Should a plate and registration be required on these bikes, so that a criminal can't travel anonymously?

My opinion- Perp given assignment and plenty of time to plan ahead. Foreign actor traveled to an international airport and met with handler. Received cash and weapon. Boarded bus heading towards NYC.

Arrives NYC. First stop is Hilton then secures room. Following day hits the thrift shop, purchasing used clothing, backpacks, jackets. Spent the next the days making practice runs and making sure to show up all over town wearing different outfits muddying the waters on surveillance images.

Handler makes contact when BT arrives in town. Time for last couple trial runs and final exit strategy. DAY before, perp rents a bicycle from bike shop across the street from hostel. Bike is secured and battery removed.

Morning of, perp gets out early. Rides bike to 6th Ave and secures it. Continues on foot pacing by Hilton. Took a stroll inside sub station as a red herring. Ordered Starbucks, and calmly strolled back towards Hilton.

Discarded water bottle or coffee cup in trash pile as they are confident that DNA cannot be traced back to them. Minutes later received call from handler that BT was on the move along with what he was wearing.

Perp makes contact, briefly follows, takes position and fires first shot striking BT in calf. Why not one shot to the head? Instructed to fire more than once due to shell casing messaging. Fires multiple shots, calm, despite apparent malfunction.

Was handler in SUV? Perp continues, discarding phone and putting a hat on. Retrieves bike and cruises towards park. Discards back pack in park along with outer jacket and monopoly money. Rides out, catches cab and heads to bus station.

Bus station doesn't lead to Atlanta, yet investigation thinks they returned south. My opinion, they took bus to Niagara Falls. Discarded firearm there, and proceeded into Canada. Either still there, or secured flight to home country before NYPD could piece together the photo collage he provided from 10 days of travel.

I'm not certain we'll ever get the real story here. What i am certain of, Americans are disillusioned with the current state of health care, and some entity is going to pass laws for our own safety that keep better tabs on our travel itineraries.

 

[Deleted member 341776]

Just wanted to share that wearing a respiratory mask absolutely would not be unusual in Manhattan. I'd say about one in ten people on the subways still mask, and walking pneumonia has been absolutely rampant in addition to covid this year. I would never look twice at this guy on the street in any of his photos.

 

[nao]

Moo.. I would have a couple of layers of clothing on it staying in hostel.. bedbugs, scabies, hep B...moo

 

[RobSA]

My intuition says that the authorities don't have a clue as to the shooter's identity, origins, or current whereabouts, and that Brian Thompson's murder will go down in infamy alongside The Black Dahlia, The Zodiac Killer, and the Tylenol Poisonings as one of America's most notorious cold cases.
The shooter used the most low-tech of methods (paying in cash, traveling by bus, lodging in a hostel, using an e-bike as a getaway vehicle, etc.) to evade and flummox the most high-tech surveillance and detection. He is a real-life will-o'-the-wisp who has vanished back into the ether from which he emerged...

I would agree if there wasn't pictures of this guy.

 

[Warwick7]

Isn't the mayor's comment "tipping him off"?

THAT'S what I said to my husband!
There are multiple reasons I don't care for Adams.

 

[CamilleBSP]

It was, as I understand it, a shareholders meeting. Many people buy 1 share of a stock to get closer to the CEO's/other management during those days (sometimes two days). My understanding is that the first day of this shareholder event (all held at the same hotel) was a run up to the second day, which was the formal meet-the-shareholders day.

So all someone has to do to get access to such events is buy 1 share of stock. Further, the crowd gathers and it's not exactly orderly once it starts (this particular company has had its share of protesters).

If the perp came into town 10 or more days earlier, they had quite a bit of time to scope out the itinerary of the CEO of the company they hated (if that was the motivation).

BT's wife told NBC that he had received death threats. I can understand how he decided to simply defy those threats (he was, after all, paid to do exactly that and I am boggled by his actual paycheck). I am also boggled by this company's reported profits and returns to equity share holders. All of this was the subject matter of this "conference." Feelings were heated.

IMO.

It was a meeting with investors, not shareholders.

 

[Gemmie]

Is it? Do ordinary shareholders in a business environment as fraught as this one...not have any information about public meetings of this company?

I ask because I have a brokerage account and was following UHC. The amount of news articles and press releases associated with it is large. I think it's required by law that meetings of investors be publicized in some way (not Brown-acted, maybe, but still press released).

If it's a different audience, then even more reason for the banned shareholders to be upset.

IMO. Trying to get more investors when current investors are upset is not a good look (and that appears to be the case, IMO). Also, I believe NASDAQ requires such attempts to solicit stock (non-retail equities) to be disclosed by press release.

It's a rabbit hole that maybe some WSer might want to go down.

IMO.

They have access to the information, but not at a conference, but rather at the shareholder's meetings. You're thinking of retail shareholders (non-professionals like you and I). This conference was for analysts and institutional investors (the professionals). Huge difference between them and retail shareholders.

Here it is again for anyone that missed it.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) will host its annual Investor Conference for analysts and institutional investors in New York City on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST.

UnitedHealth Group to Host 2024 Investor Conference

UnitedHealth Group will host its annual Investor Conference for analysts and institutional investors in New York City on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST.

www.unitedhealthgroup.com

Here's a quickie lesson 101 on the difference:

Some widely known types of institutional investors include pension funds, banks, mutual funds, hedge funds, endowments, and insurance companies.

On the other hand, retail investors are individuals who invest their own money, typically on their own behalf.

More on Institutional Investors vs. Retail Investors: What’s the Difference? here:

Institutional Investors vs. Retail Investors: What’s the Difference?

Retail investors are investors who trade for themselves in small quantities. Institutional investors are entities that trade for others in large quantities.

www.investopedia.com

 

[Warwick7]

Officials in New York are looking into whether they can find a name used for the Nov. 24 trip. Greyhound has said it is cooperating with authorities on the investigation. Atlanta police officials said Friday they were contacted by the NYPD and will provide assistance as needed.

Three sources told NBC News that police are in Atlanta and will be searching for video from that bus station — as well as other stations along the Greyhound route to New York City — for possible clues.

What we know about UnitedHealthcare CEO's fatal shooting outside NYC hotel

New York police say the person of interest in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson likely has left New York City.

www.nbcnews.com

12/7/2024

Good!!!!!!

 

[helix527]

If he crossed into Canada I think we would know.

He’d have to clear customs, remove his mask, passport would be recorded. Border Agents would be on alert very quickly.

How is he living? Where is his money coming from? How is he accessing it?

If he had fled the country I think LE would know that.

IMO he’s still in the US. I honestly don’t think his mission is over. I’m concerned about more murders or at the very least, attempted murders.

This guy is an adrenaline junkie. He’s enjoying the attention and notoriety.

He’s not finished yet.

MOO

Agreed, very unlikely he travelled to Canada. The two bus routes that travel from Canada (Toronto and Montreal) to New York City stop at Penn Station, not at George Washington Station. It would be a gutsy move to travel by taxi to GW Station, away from the crime, only to travel from GW Station back towards the crime scene to catch a bus at Penn Station, before heading on a bus north to Canada.

 

[Gemmie]

Law enforcement knows the name of the person of interest​

The mayor said on Saturday that law enforcement knows who they are looking for, but don't want to tip him off by announcing his name prematurely.

"We don't want to release that now. If you do, you are basically giving a tip to the person we are find ... we're seeking, and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all. Let him continue to believe he can hide behind the mask," Adams said.

Amid manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooter, NYPD divers return to Central Park lake in search of clues

The manhunt continues for the man captured on surveillance video last week fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

www.cbsnews.com

12/8/2024

The mayor has since walked that back.

 

[KaylynnCouture]

Officials in New York are looking into whether they can find a name used for the Nov. 24 trip. Greyhound has said it is cooperating with authorities on the investigation. Atlanta police officials said Friday they were contacted by the NYPD and will provide assistance as needed.

Three sources told NBC News that police are in Atlanta and will be searching for video from that bus station — as well as other stations along the Greyhound route to New York City — for possible clues.

What we know about UnitedHealthcare CEO's fatal shooting outside NYC hotel

New York police say the person of interest in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson likely has left New York City.

www.nbcnews.com

12/7/2024

Wouldn’t the name be the same as the fake photo ID at the hostel? Thats my guess at least.

Although come to think of it maybe the name isn’t the same? Because it would be fairly easy I’d imagine to search the name on the fake photo ID against the Greyhound records to find out where he bought a ticket and on what route.

 

[ilovewings]

My intuition says that the authorities don't have a clue as to the shooter's identity, origins, or current whereabouts, and that Brian Thompson's murder will go down in infamy alongside The Black Dahlia, The Zodiac Killer, and the Tylenol Poisonings as one of America's most notorious cold cases.
The shooter used the most low-tech of methods (paying in cash, traveling by bus, lodging in a hostel, using an e-bike as a getaway vehicle, etc.) to evade and flummox the most high-tech surveillance and detection. He is a real-life will-o'-the-wisp who has vanished back into the ether from which he emerged...

I was sure he was going to be caught in NY city- Since he escaped from there I am losing confidence that he will be caught at all.

 

[Sakura2Sophia4Lucia]

Three sources told NBC News that police are in Atlanta and will be searching for video from that bus station — as well as other stations along the Greyhound route to New York City — for possible clues.

What we know about UnitedHealthcare CEO's fatal shooting outside NYC hotel

New York police say the person of interest in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson likely has left New York City.

www.nbcnews.com

12/7/2024

Thanks, Arielilane. Great post. Brilliant that LE plans to be searching video from the stations along the Greyhound route to NYC. If he got on the Greyhound bus somewhere between Atlanta and NYC, LE is likely to find him in one of the videos looking the same as when he got off of the bus in NYC and they will have significantly narrowed their search in determining who he is and where he came from.

 

[ChrisM]

I would be VERY surprised if 9mm ammo was used to euthanize animals. if you had to do it to a small animal it would ruin the body. like in a really bad way. Even cattle are killed by a bolt that retracts back into the gun. Plus the cost of the ammunition vs other more humane methods is just way too much.

a short addendum, i'm suspecting a little confusion in our comments, by bolt action firearm, we're considering a bullet system being held in place by the bolt, similar to a rifle action. i just looked, the other method of euthanasia (perhaps you refer to) is "penetrating captive bolt" which seems to drive a bolt as opposed to a bullet. all new to me but just thought i'd add this...

 

[eddie_van]

I was sure he was going to be caught in NY city- Since he escaped from there I am losing confidence that he will be caught at all.

yup, I did NOT expect the NYPD to allow him to escape.

 

[Arkay]

Investor conferences are for the investment community which is different than shareholders.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) will host its annual Investor Conference for analysts and institutional investors in New York City on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST.

UnitedHealth Group to Host 2024 Investor Conference

UnitedHealth Group will host its annual Investor Conference for analysts and institutional investors in New York City on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST.

www.unitedhealthgroup.com

This might help how this conference was different than an annual shareholder's meeting:

Investor conferences offer public companies an unparalleled opportunity to gain exposure and enhance their visibility within the investment community. These conferences are typically attended by investors, analysts, fund managers, and other financial professionals who are actively seeking new investment opportunities. By participating in these events, companies can present their business strategies, growth plans, and financial performance directly to a targeted audience, ensuring that their message reaches the right people.

Virtual Investor Conference — Ana Berry | Professional Host based in Tulsa, Oklahoma

This was not a shareholder's meeting.

It was a meeting for investors and had a closed attendance. It was not open to general shareholders.

Sounds like the annual investor meeting is more precisely selected constituents. Specifically, heavy investors not even heavy stockholders. Apparently.

I know this has already been explained multiple times across all the threads, but it seems to still be confusing.

Think of it as if it were a Broadway play.

The investors are those who fund the play, with a minimum contribution of
$25,000, and other financial criteria that must be met.

These are the movers and shakers.

Then a regular stockholder like me would be more comparable to someone who buys a ticket to the play as part of the audience.

Both contribute financially to the play, but in entirely different orbits.

Whereas I and every other shareholder are always invited to annual meetings, the investors’ conference is off-limits to all but the heavy-duty financial people.

BROADWAY INVESTING | Investingbroadway

Broadway Investing information and frequently asked questions about how to invest in Broadway shows.

www.investingbroadway.com